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larry
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# Posted: 18 Mar 2010 10:50pm
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has anyone ever built a masonry block tank without a leach field letting the liquid seep through the block? any plans or ideas?
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dk1393
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# Posted: 19 Mar 2010 08:05am
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for grey water, I have used a plastic 55 gal drum with the bottom cut out. I put a 6" layer of stone and sunk the barrel in the ground. It seemed to work good. It was for the sink, so it was not a lot of water but depending on your soil it will work
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larry
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# Posted: 22 Mar 2010 08:08am
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this is gonna carry more than grey water. but i was hoping someone has made this type of tank/ system and would give there opinions.
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steveqvs
Member
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# Posted: 22 Mar 2010 10:19am
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You might try this link. I doubt its a good idea as most places do not allow pits like that to be built anymore.
http://www.inspectapedia.com/septbook.htm
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stack
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# Posted: 24 Mar 2010 11:25pm
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here's a link to a small septic system that might work for you.
http://www.wikihow.com/Construct-a-Small-Septic-System
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Anonymous
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# Posted: 25 Mar 2010 09:54pm
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i should have been a bit more clear. i have heard of people making septic tanks out of blocks without a leach field by leaving gaps in the mortar joints it allows the liquid to seep out. does anyone have any experience with this?
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larry
Member
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# Posted: 25 Mar 2010 09:58pm
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for whatever reason my last post came up as anonymous
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Vince P
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# Posted: 26 Mar 2010 05:09pm - Edited by: Vince P
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I made my septic out of a 30 gal barrel. The toilet (a 2-pint flush RV type) flushes down into the tank which has a mix of peat moss and wood shavings. A screened pipe allows liquids to flow out of the tank to an evaporation bed. One end has a 6 inch diameter "chimney" to dry things out as well as pull odors out. The barrel rotates on two closet flanges, one on the intake end and one on the chimney end. This mixes and acelerates composting.
I posted the idea for this system on here last year, but now after one year of use, I can say it works great!
At any rate, if you build a tank, it will eventually need to be pumped out. With my compost septic, I'll just need to remove a few shovel fulls of non- foul-smelling compost every few years.
In the photo below: The septic barrel is black, the grey water barrel is blue.
septic and grey water
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toilet and bathroom
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lawnjocky
Member
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# Posted: 29 Mar 2010 09:03am
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I just poop in a hole. :)
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larry
Member
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# Posted: 29 Mar 2010 09:03pm
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i like the idea vince... got any more info?
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Vince P
Member
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# Posted: 31 Mar 2010 04:42pm - Edited by: Vince P
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Quoting: larry i like the idea vince... got any more info?
At the end of each stay, I throw in a few handfuls of compost mix. Winter freezes my outside water supply (500 gal rain barrel), so during the feeze, the toilet just acts as a trap door and we throw in a few cups of water from a bucket filled from my pond. You can get more info at the Sun-mar website. Their system is somewhat similar to mine, but has the same concept.
http://www.sun-mar.com/
The toilet is a Sealand with a hand sprayer.
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larry
Member
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# Posted: 31 Mar 2010 08:45pm - Edited by: larry
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thanks vince. love the idea. i will try this and see if it works....more to come.
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DLMcBeath
Member
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# Posted: 5 Apr 2010 11:01am
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Vince,
I think I'm going to steel your idea. I just have a few questions. how do you access the compost to remove it? Also, how do you add the peat moss?
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Vince P
Member
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# Posted: 5 Apr 2010 12:02pm
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Here is a closer view. You can see a band clamp that allows me to "unlock" the barrel lid in order to access the compost. Adding compost is done from the toilet above. If you do try this, make sure you:
1. Have a chimney (the 6" pipe going up) that is high enough to provide a draft into the chamber. I slip the chimney pipe off when I need to access the lid.
2. Level the barrel so that liquids will flow into the drain pipe, depending on where you mount the pipe.
3. Mount the drain pipe to the barrel so that it can be disconnected easily when turning the barrel to mix the compost. There are several ways to do this... I used a tailpiece and coupling for a sink drain and it only requires hand tightening.
close-up of composting chamber
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Vince P
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# Posted: 5 Apr 2010 12:13pm - Edited by: Vince P
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One more tip. If you can, use the darkest color barrel you can find (or paint a dark color), to increase heat gain and accelerate composting.
Because of the orientation of my cabin, my barrel has a Northern exposure and I've been toying with the idea of building a "greenhouse" around the barrel for extra composting heat. But truthfully, I've been using this setup as is for a year now without odor problems, so I may save that sort of tinkering for sometime in the future.
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Anonymous
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# Posted: 2 Oct 2010 10:35pm
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Vince,
Sweet setup. How did you connect the plumbing from the toilet? Do you detach it when you "spin" it to compost it? Do you pull off the vent pipe when turning it?
I'd like to see a writeup, with parts list and more photos if you could.
I really like your idea!
Mike
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Vince P
Member
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# Posted: 7 Oct 2010 06:11pm
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Quoting: Anonymous How did you connect the plumbing from the toilet? Do you detach it when you "spin" it to compost it? Do you pull off the vent pipe when turning it?
Both the vent pipe and pipe coming from the toilet are attached via a closet flange. Part of this flange is metal and part is pvc. The metal part actually "rotates" on the pvc part, so no detachment is necessary.
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elkdiebymybow
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# Posted: 23 Jan 2011 11:46pm - Edited by: elkdiebymybow
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Vince,
So....Let's say you are ready to remove some compost, would you do this if you haven't been using the place for sometime? I mean, how can you be sure none of your more recent deposits are still in composting mode? And what do you do with it when you remove?
Seems like an interesting set up...thanks for the information.
~Elk
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Vince P
Member
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# Posted: 26 Jan 2011 05:28pm
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Quoting: elkdiebymybow Vince, So....Let's say you are ready to remove some compost, would you do this if you haven't been using the place for sometime? I mean, how can you be sure none of your more recent deposits are still in composting mode? And what do you do with it when you remove? Seems like an interesting set up...thanks for the information. ~Elk
The composting never really stops, unless things are frozen solid.
This might be a little graphic, but solid human waste is 1/3 bacteria, so it only takes the right conditions to keep them muching.
Trust me on this. I was a biology professor for six years and explored this simple concept with students more times than I care to remember in "hands on" situations.
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Anonymous
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# Posted: 7 Oct 2011 05:01pm
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Are all these methods accepted by counties as septic?
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PA_Bound
Member
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# Posted: 7 Oct 2011 08:17pm
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No,... although it may be completely functional and work well, unfortunately some localities will refuse to permit systems like this. Check with your local sewage enforcement agency for their official position.
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Vince P
Member
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# Posted: 8 Oct 2011 09:30pm - Edited by: Vince P
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The unitI posted is self contained, so it is not a traditional septic, but more like a port-a-potty. That being the case, I'm not so sure that this would even require a permit in most places... though some would argue that.
I have revamped this system to work better. See this thread:
http://www.small-cabin.com/forum/3_952_0.html
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